The Life of a Ranger
by White-Knight-1988
Summary: I don't really know how to explain it. It's a oneshot about different events that happened during PRZ, WF, DT and involved Tommy in some way. It's my own personal take on them and I think you'll like it so please, Read and Review.


_This is my take on how I think Power Rangers could have gone while still being true to the original canon and giving the fans more closure. It's parts of the show mixed in with my own special additions. It's just a oneshot though and it will all make sense when it's over. This story is dedicated to Chanelle Summer whose writing I recently discovered. I know you would have liked this one, Chanelle._

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_May 13, 1996_

_Angel Grove Youth Center/Gym & Juice Bar_

_Angel Grove, CA_

Inside the small Gym and Juice Bar in Angel Grove, six young teenagers enjoyed a slight break and some well deserved relaxation time after a long day at school. The core of the group had known each other for a few years with the one in the black button up shirt, Billy, and the one wearing red, Tommy, having known each other the longest.

On this particular day they were all watching Tommy as he positioned himself on the bench press. The others cheered him on while still maintaining their conversations amongst themselves.

"Okay," said the young man in blue, Rocky, "You got two more sets. You ready?"

Tommy nodded as the blood pumped through his veins "I was born ready," he answered confidently as he lied back down on the bench. Two of his friends counted out loud as he lifted the heavy weights with relative ease.

A heavyset man named Ernie who owned the establishment made his way to the group of teens, holding a white envelope in his hands, "Hey Tommy, a letter came for you."

"Yeah, it's from Kimberly," Billy said with a smile after taking notice of the Florida postmark.

Tommy looked up at them from the bench with a huge smile on his face. "Cool! Hey Adam, could you do me a favor and read it? I have one more set to do."

"You got it," said the teenager in green taking the letter and opening it carefully, "'Dear Tommy, everything is going great here in Florida. Coach Schmidt has me as ready as I'll ever be for the competition.'"

"Man," Rocky interjected enthusiastically, "Kimberly is gonna do great!"

"What else does she say?" a young woman in yellow named Tanya asked.

"'Tommy, this is the hardest letter that I'll ever write,'" Adam frowned hesitantly but continued to read the letter "'You've always been my best friend, and in some ways you're like a brother to me. But, something has happened here that I can't explain. It's been both wonderful and painful at the same time. Tommy, I've met someone else…"

Adam stopped short, a horrified expression littering his face as Tommy stood up mid lift and almost dropped the bar and weights.

"What?" the one in pink, Katherine, exclaimed in shock "That can't be right!"

Adam looked at Tommy rather uncomfortably, "Tommy…maybe you should finish this another time?"

"Let me see," he demanded as he grabbed the letter from his friend and continued to read it out loud ignoring the fact that his voice cracking with each strained word, "'Tommy, you know I would never do anything to hurt you, but I feel like I've found the person I belong with. He's wonderful, kind, and caring. You'd really like him...'"

Tommy's voice fell softer, his eyes burning with the intense pain and hurt he was feeling as he continued "'Everything would be perfect if it weren't for hurting you but I have to follow my heart. I'll always care about you Tommy. Please forgive me. Kimberly."

He squeezed his eyes tightly shut and slowly folded the letter, his heart pounding in the depths of his throat. He almost choked on his own breath as he struggled between wanting to scream and the uncontrollable urge to burst into tears.

"Are you all right?" Billy asked quietly.

"Huh?" Tommy asked, his friends words snapping him back in to reality "Uh… yeah."

Tommy turned to look at his friends, the obvious pain creeping across his face "I uh, I have to go, um, I'll uh catch up with you guys later."

The remaining teens stared in shock as their heartbroken friend hurried out of the Youth Center. Deep inside, Tommy wanted to turn to them for help and comfort but he left them without saying anything else at all.

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_Same day, three hours later_

_Hi, you've reached Kim and Christina. We're not here to get to the phone right now but if you leave your name and number we'll get back to you as soon as we can. Bye!_

"Uh, hey Kim it's me," Tommy stammered and sobbed as soon as the machine beeped "I, uh, I got your letter today and I just want you to know that if I did anything to bring this decision on you that I'm sorry. I don't think I did anything wrong but I'm sorry if I did. I'd really appreciate it if you gave me a call back, just so we can talk but I'm pretty sure you won't return my call. I hope you're happy with this new guy and if you're happy, then I guess I'm happy for you. Goodbye, Beautiful. I love you. I always will…"

Tommy hung up the phone slowly as he fell back on his bed and grabbed the nearest pillow, hugging it tightly against his body. The tears started to fall harder as his body began to shake uncontrollably. He stayed like that for close to an hour until he had no more tears to cry and drifted off into a pained and uncomfortable sleep.

Almost 6,000 miles across the country in Florida, a petite brunette had just walked into her apartment and thrown her pink duffel bag on the couch after a long day of school and gymnastics practice. She had canceled her date with her boyfriend James since practice ran so late and she still had school the next morning.

After retrieving a bottle of water from the small refrigerator she flopped onto the couch and turned the television on before reaching over and playing her voicemails. There were three new messages on the machine, the first of which was for her roommate Christina. The second voicemail was from her mom and she scolded herself silently for not calling her like she was supposed to. But the last message was the one that got to her.

_It must have gotten there sooner than I expected_ she thought silently as Tommy's cracked voice reached her ears and she started to cry. When the message was over she ran into her bedroom and fell onto the bed as she grabbed the nearest pillow, hugging it tightly against her body. The tears started to fall harder as her body began to shake uncontrollably.

"Please forgive me, Tommy," she muttered through the tears "I love you so much. I'm so sorry, my love. Maybe one day, we'll be together again."

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_September 11, 1997_

_Angel Grove, CA, outskirts_

"So what are your plans now that we're not Rangers anymore?" Tommy asked his friends as they exited the building that had once been their Command Center.

"I got a call the other day from a big film company that needs good stuntmen," Adam explained "I wasn't going to take it but now I have no reason not to. I'm leaving in a couple days for Los Angeles to start shooting."

"Adam, that's fantastic," Tanya exclaimed, throwing her arms around the former Green Ranger "I guess we'll get to see a lot more of each other because I'm going to L.A. too. I've been shopping one of my demo tapes around and a record label executive managed to get a hold of it. They want to meet with me in a week."

Tommy looked at the two friends who he knew both wanted so much more than friendship from each other. They both wanted it, everyone could see it in their eyes but neither of them had the guts to make the first move.

_Just like two other people I know_ Tommy reminisced silently, thinking about all the poking and prodding it had taken from Jason and Zack to get him to ask Kim out "What about you, Kat?"

"I'm not doing anything nearly as exciting as that but I got accepted into a dance school in London. I wasn't going to go either for obvious reasons but now I don't see why I shouldn't," Kat answered with a smile.

_No reason why you shouldn't?! What about me?! What about us?!_ Tommy shouted inside his head _What am I, chopped liver?! I'm glad I just wasted a year of my life so someone else that I cared about could just walk away from me, too._

If he was really going to be honest with himself, though, he knew this was going to happen. He and Kat had nothing in common outside of being Power Rangers and now that that was gone, he was sure their relationship would suffer the same fate.

But that didn't make the abandonment any easier to swallow for him. Kim had walked away from him one year, three months and twenty-nine days ago and there was a black "X" on every single day of the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Calendar that hung on his bedroom wall for everyday since she had broken up with him.

He had been making progress towards getting over her but the events on Murianthis just brought every emotion rushing back at him. Even now he was still working on it but now Kat was leaving him too. Both women he loved had either left him or were in the process of leaving him.

_What did I do to get so damn lucky? _Tommy sneered to himself _I guess defending the world for over four years warrants all of this shit happening to me._

"What about you, Tommy?" Kat asked, snapping him from his stupor "What are your plans for the future?"

"I, uh…I'm probably going to go to college here in Angel Grove and race for my uncle," Tommy answered "I don't really have any big plans. I want to transfer to Reefside University but for some strange reason I have the feeling that no matter where I go it won't matter. My home will always be with the Rangers."

If he had any idea how true that statement would prove to be, he would have ran as far as possible from Angel Grove. A few days later when everyone went their separate ways Tommy stayed behind, alone and with no one to turn to so he picked up the phone off his nightstand and silently prayed his that his best friend answered.

"Hello?" a scruffy voice answered as Tommy let out a sigh of relief.

"Jason. Man, it's so good to hear your voice, bro," Tommy said to his old friend.

"Hey man, what's up?" Jason asked "It's been awhile. How's everything going down there in the Grove?"

"It's okay, I guess," Tommy answered truthfully, not really wanting to elaborate "We had to give up our powers so I enrolled at Angel Grove Community College and I'm going to racing for my Uncle John's stock car team. How about you?"

"I'm just…hey knock it off Trini!" Jason exclaimed, slapping his girlfriend's hand away playfully "Sorry about that. Women, ya know? Anyways, Trini and I just enrolled down there too. We're moving back about a month before the spring semester starts. Probably November."

"Aww man, you have no idea how happy I am to hear that," I muttered "Everyone's gone and moved away. It's so boring here without any of you guys. It'll be just like old times, man."

"Yeah, it will," Jason replied. _More than you know. _"We'll get together when we move back, man. I haven't had anyone decent to spar with since I left."

"I can't wait," I said honestly and then paused "So, uh…how's Kim doing? Have you talked to her at all recently?"

"She's doing okay, man," Jason answered quietly. The truth was that Kim wasn't okay but she had made Jason and Trini promise not to say anything to Tommy or any of the others for that matter. "I don't know how much you're gonna want to hear this, bro, but she's moving back too."

"Really?" Tommy asked excitedly and then quickly changed his tone "I mean…that's cool I guess. Why is she moving back?"

"I don't know. She just told me she was moving back," Jason lied begrudgingly and then switched topics "Hey man, I got to go. You know, the time difference and everything. But it was good talking to you. I'll call you a couple days before we move back to let you know what the deal is, alright?"

"Sure thing, bro," I muttered "Take care of yourself and give Trini my love."

"I will, man. Talk to you later," Jason said as he hung up the phone and turned towards his girlfriend "He's going to be crushed, you do know that right?"

"Tommy's a big boy, Jase," Trini answered "Kim wants to make things right with him but she also knows it won't be easy. She knows how bad she hurt him and she feels terrible about it."

"Not as bad as Tommy," Jason scoffed "They've been broken up for almost two years and he still hasn't gotten over her. I think he loves her more now then he did when they were together."

"I hope you're right," Trini mumbled "For his sake and for Kim's."

Jason nodded his head knowingly as he reached across the bed to hang up the phone before rolling over and pulling Trini close to him. He took a deep breath and silently prayed everything would work out as he turned the light off and drifted off to sleep with his girlfriend wrapped in his arms.

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_November 18, 1998_

_Angel Grove, CA_

Tommy Oliver sat alone on the floor of his apartment, his head resting against the bottom of his bed as tears fell down his face. There was a half-empty bottle of vodka by his side and a piece of lined paper resting unsteadily in his shaking hands. With blurred eyes he read and re-read and then re-read the letter again until he couldn't deal with it anymore.

Today would have been his five year anniversary with Kim if they had stayed together. She had been back in Angel Grove for almost a year and they were on speaking terms but he definitely didn't consider her a real friend. He was positive that friends didn't do things like Kim had done to him to each other.

The cold November rain beat heavily against his third-story window, thunder rumbling against the side of the building and lightning flashing through the sky. There was a 1998 Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Calendar on his wall and each day up until the 18th had a simple black "X" through it.

He was sitting on the floor in nothing but shorts and a tank top as he started to shiver from the cold weather. The heater worked fine but he was a college kid and the electric bill wasn't cheap so he didn't use the heater or air conditioner unless it was absolutely necessary.

With shaking hands he reached into his pocket, retrieving a small red lighter that he ignited and brought towards the edge of the paper he was holding. As the flame slowly got closer his hands started to shake harder and just as it got within millimeters of the paper the lighter slipped out of his hand and fell to the floor.

"Why, Kim?! Why?!" he yelled loudly as his voice lowered and the cracked "Why did you do this to me. I don't deserve this pain. I never did anything to you but love you. I hate you! I hate you! Goddammit, I love you so much."

He reached over and grabbed the bottle off the floor and took a big drink from it as the clear liquid burned his throat. He was just going for another drink when there was a knock at his front door which caused him to immediately jump to his feet. Frantically he started to clean things up, putting the letter away in a drawer and hiding the bottle of vodka.

"I'll be right there just give me a minute!" Tommy called out as he sniffled loudly and disappeared into the bathroom to splash some cold water onto his face.

He patted his face dry and then grabbed a baseball cap, pulling it down tightly to try and cover his bloodshot eyes and tear stained face as best as possible. Slowly, he walked towards the door and opened it to find a young woman standing there soaked to the bone and shivering, carrying an equally wet backpack.

"Kim? What are you doing here?" he asked as the woman kept her head down, refusing to look at him "Get in here before you catch cold."

Kim stepped into the apartment and muttered a thank you as Tommy shut the door and immediately turned on the heater. After searching for a few minutes he found a clean, dry towel and handed it to Kim who muttered another thank you before setting her wet backpack down next to the couch.

"Go in my room and get out of those wet clothes," he insisted "There's some old sweats and sweatshirts of mine hanging in my closet that you can wear.'

Kim looked at him apprehensively, wondering why he was being so nice to her as he kept a stern finger pointed at his bedroom. She nodded her head eventually and then disappeared into the bedroom, making sure to lock the door behind her.

Tommy looked at the closed door intently as more tears filled his eyes. Slowly, his gaze went to the ceiling, looking up high at whatever power was up there.

_If this is some sick joke, I hope you're laughing. Why do you insist on torturing me like this? And on what would have been our anniversary?_

The sound of his bedroom door opening snapped him from his thought and he turned to see Kim walking out in an old pair of black sweats and a green, long sleeved, flannel shirt. He couldn't help but stare at her as she walked past him with an embarrassed look on her face and took a seat on the couch.

"Do you have anything that I could drink, Tommy?" Kim asked hesitantly, still not looking him in the eye.

"Water," Tommy answered "Or vodka."

"I'll take the vodka if you don't mind," Kim replied as Tommy nodded his head and disappeared into the kitchen to retrieve the bottle.

He pulled two glasses from the overhead cabinet and filled them halfway with the clear liquid. After putting the bottle back, he walked back out to the living room and set Kim's glass in front of her before taking a seat in his recliner, opposite Kim. They sat in silence for close to five minutes, both of them taking occasional sips from their glass and looking at each other awkwardly until, finally, Tommy couldn't take the silence any longer.

"Why are you here, Kim?" he asked as her eyes met him for the first time that night.

"I…I don't really know," she muttered "My car broke down about four miles back on Fifth Street and you were the closest one to where I was."

"You mean you walked three miles in the rain?" he asked in shock.

"Yeah," she muttered and then stood up "Thanks for the drink and the dry clothes Tommy but I should get going. It's a long walk back to my apartment. I'll make sure to wash these and return them to you."

He nodded his head silently as she slowly turned towards the door. Could he really let her just go out there in the rain by herself with no car? He really didn't even need to ask myself that question because, deep down inside, he already knew the answer.

"Kim, wait!" Tommy called out just as she got to the door and she turned around to face him "Come back here. I can't let you walk all that way in the rain. My mom had to borrow my car but she's bringing it back in the morning. Why don't you take my bed and I'll take the couch and in the morning I'll take you where you need to go."

He could see tears filling her eyes as she closed the door slowly behind her and walked back towards the couch. Before he knew what had happened she had launched into a full on display of tears and emotions as she buried her face in her hands. A few years ago, Tommy would have known exactly what to do but now he had no clue so he watched helplessly as she cried and cried until she couldn't cry any longer.

"Do you want to talk?" Tommy asked hesitantly as she looked at him in surprise "I mean, I know we're not like great friends or anything but I'll listen if you want to talk."

"Really?" she asked as he nodded head "You might want to pour yourself another drink before I start, then. This might take awhile."

He nodded his head again and walked towards the kitchen to retrieve the bottle. After taking it back to the living room he filled his glass and then looked at her as she nodded her head so he re-filled her glass too before setting the bottle on the coffee table. He took a seat on the couch next to Kim this time, eliminating the distance that there had been between them.

"Tommy, before I say anything else I want you to know how sorry I am about everything I did to you," she sobbed as Tommy barely managed to nod his head "I never wanted to hurt you but I know that I did. Hurting you was the last thing I wanted to do because I loved you."

"You sure had a funny way of showing it," Tommy scoffed as Kim flinched at his statement.

He instantly felt bad about it but refused to apologize for it at the same time. In his mind, Kim had put him through a lot worse and an apology was the last thing on his mind at that point.

"I deserved that," she muttered quietly "I know how bad I hurt you and I feel terrible about it. I know that's not any consolation for you but it's the truth. I don't care whether you believe it or not but I never wanted to hurt you."

"Then why'd you break up with me? In a letter no less?" he asked angrily as his blood began to boil "You didn't even have the guts to call me or say it to my face. What did I do to deserve that?"

"Nothing, Tommy. You didn't do anything to deserve that," she answered in a murmur "I just didn't know how else to do it. I don't think I could have handled the look on your face or the sound of your voice so I took the easy route and wrote the letter. It really was the hardest letter I've ever written in my life."

"Why'd you break up with me, Kim?" he asked again, ignoring most of what she had just said.

"I told you why in the letter. I met someone else and I thought we were meant to be together. That wasn't a lie," she snapped "Even though I didn't have the courage to break up with you to your face I wouldn't have lied to you. I loved you too much to do that."

Tommy couldn't believe that she had the gall to say that she had loved him. People in love didn't do things like that to each other and there were so many things he wanted to say to her about that so he started with the first thing that came to his mind.

"How long were you seeing him before you sent me the letter?" he asked as she winced at the question and lowered her eyes "How long, Kimberly?"

"A month and a half," she muttered quietly as tears filled his eyes again.

"A month and a half?!" he yelled angrily "A month and a half?! You were with this guy for that long before you told me?!"

"Maybe I should just go," she replied "Thanks for everything, Tommy. I'll see you around."

She tried to walk away but Tommy wasn't going to let her get away that easily. He grabbed her wrist and held tightly as she jumped at his touch and tried to pull away.

"I need to know, Kim," he said to her softly "Sit back down and talk to me. I won't yell anymore. I just…do you even know what today is?"

She had to think about it for a few moments but eventually it donned on her. It would have been their anniversary and she had just randomly showed up on his doorstep without thinking about anything but herself. She cursed herself silently for even going to Tommy but it was ten times worse because of what the day was.

"I'm sorry, Tommy," she whispered "I guess between my car breaking down and school and work and James leaving me I just totally forgot."

"James left you?" he asked. It was the best news he had heard in awhile, even if it meant Kim was hurting. "Why did he break up with you?"

From Kim's breakup letter and little bits of information from Jason he knew that Kim and James had been together for over two years and that those two years had been shaky to say the least. He also knew that, even though their relationship had been rocky, Kim was actually serious about her feelings towards her long term boyfriend. Apparently though, he wasn't as serious as she was.

"Because I wouldn't sleep with him," she answered embarrassingly "Part of me wanted to but the other part wouldn't let me do it. He wanted something that I just wasn't ready for so he left me for someone willing to give him what he wanted."

"I'm sorry, Kim," he said honestly as he instinctively reached out and rubbed her shoulder softly. When he realized what he was doing he quickly pulled back as Kim looked at her shoulder sadly. "So he just broke up with you because you wouldn't have sex with him."

"Not entirely but that was part of the reason," she replied "I still have all our old pictures and mementos. James found them one day and got angry. He yelled at me to throw them away and move on but I couldn't get rid of them. There were just some days when I needed them to remember a happier time, before everything hit the fan and I couldn't bring myself to part with so many important memories."

For the first time that night, Tommy actually felt genuine compassion towards Kim. It wasn't compassion when he let her in or offered her his bed, it was just his inability to be mean to anyone taking over. But having heard what Kim had just told him, compassion was the least he could offer towards her.

"I really am sorry, Kim," he muttered "You didn't deserve that."

"Yes I did," she sobbed in reply "It's karma, Tommy. I hurt you so it was only fair that I got hurt in return for what I did."

Tommy took another sip from his glass and then reached out for Kim's hands. He rubbed the tops of her hands softly with his thumbs as more tears started to fall and she suddenly buried her face against his chest.

"Shh, Kim. It's okay," he murmured as he held onto her "Just let it out. I'm here for you, Beautiful."

Almost instantly he regretted using his nickname for her especially when Kim flinched at the mere sound of it. He fell silent, not really knowing what else to say so he stayed in the same position, holding her until she pulled back a few minutes later.

"I couldn't sleep with him because he wasn't you, Tommy," she blurted out in confession "The first few months were great and I really thought I loved him but I didn't. I just didn't have the heart to hurt another man who I thought cared about me. That's why I couldn't sleep with him and why I couldn't break up with him. There's only one person I've ever even wanted to be with that way and James definitely wasn't that guy."

"Wh-what are you saying, Kim?" Tommy asked in a confused and surprised stammer.

"I'm saying that I couldn't be with him because I still care about you," she muttered "Even after all these years I still haven't gotten over you. I thought I had but I was wrong. I don't know if I'll ever be able to fully get over you."

Tommy felt a headache coming on and he rubbed his temple as her words began to slowly set in. Then the earlier part of their conversation started to come back to him. Kim's car had broken down on Fifth Street and Fifth was only a three mile long road. Jason and Trini lived on Fifth Street. Even if her car had broken down at the very beginning of the street she could have gotten to Jason and Trini's place faster than she could have gotten to his. She had walked at least an extra mile if not more just to come to Tommy's apartment.

"Jason and Trini live on Fifth Street," he muttered "You could have gotten there quicker than here. Tell me why you really came here Kim and it wasn't because I was the closest one to you."

Kim had thought she had gotten away with her explanation for showing up at Tommy's doorstep. Her car really had broken down on Fifth Street but she had chosen to walk a lot further than necessary to go to Tommy's instead of Jason's.

"I couldn't keep living a lie. I've been keeping everything bottled up inside for so long and I couldn't deal with it anymore. I guess I thought the only way to move on was to try and make peace with you," she answered with a hint of embarrassment in her voice "I understand that you probably hate me and I don't blame you. I just wanted you to know how I felt about you. And now that I've told you how I really feel about you, you'll never see or hear from me again after tomorrow. "

"What if that's not what I want?" Tommy asked hesitantly, surprising both of them "I mean, what if I still care about you? Have you thought about that?"

"You couldn't possibly still care about me, Tommy. At least not after everything I've done to you," Kim answered as the tears started to come again "Please don't play with my emotions like that. Coming here and talking to you has been hard enough as it is."

"You're right, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have played with your emotions like that," Tommy replied as Kim's expression grew sadder at Tommy's words "Apparently my words weren't serious enough so I guess I'll let my actions speak for me."

Tommy reached out and cupped Kim's face in his hands and then leaned in as he kissed her softly on the lips. She tried to fight it initially but Tommy didn't care and he kept kissing her until she gave in and started reciprocating the kisses. They broke apart a few minutes later but only because both of them needed to get some air.

As soon as they broke the kiss they both turned their heads from each other in embarrassment at what they had done. Tommy felt like he had taken advantage of an overly emotional Kim and she felt like she didn't deserve Tommy's compassion or care. Neither of them realized that the other was feeling just as bad for what had happened.

"I'm sorry!" they both blurted out in unison "That was my fault!"

They both went to speak again but Tommy held up his hand to silence Kim. He wanted to be heard before he had to listen and for once he was going to make sure that happened.

"I'm sorry, Kim," Tommy spoke up "I don't know what came over me. I shouldn't have taken advantage of you like that. I'm really sorry."

"No, no, it was my fault," Kim assured him "You wouldn't have done anything if I hadn't told you how I felt about you. It's me who should be sorry, not you."

"Let me ask you a question, Kim," he said quickly, trying to stop the Blame Game "What did you expect to get out of coming here tonight? I honestly want to know what you want out of all of this."

"I don't know what I expected to get out of coming here. Like I said, I just wanted you to know how I felt," she answered and started to sob again "I don't like that we go months without seeing or speaking to each other tough. That much I do know and I'd like it if we could at least try and be friends."

He looked at her and smiled gently as the tears started to fall down her face again. Slowly, he lowered his head, turning his attention to the floor before softly shaking his head side-to-side. Kim knew what that meant and Tommy didn't have to say anything but she knew he was going to say it and that it was going to hurt.

"No," he said simply and Kim started to cry harder "We can't be friends because I don't think we ever were friends. It's always kind of been all or nothing with us, Kim and I think it's always going to be all or nothing with us."

Kim nodded her head in understanding as she got up and started walking towards the bedroom. When she had opened the door, Tommy called out for her to stop and asked her where she was going.

"To bed," she answered sadly "You said we can't be friends so after tomorrow I'll say goodbye and be out of your life for good."

He kept his eyes focused right on her until the point he could tell it was starting to make her feel uncomfortable. Then he smiled at ever so slightly, just enough to really throw her a curveball and confuse the hell out of her.

"When I said all or nothing," Tommy began quietly "I never said which one we had to be. What if I don't want nothing?"

"You mean you actually want to be with me?" Kim asked as he smiled back at her again "After everything I've done to you and how much I've hurt and inconvenienced you, including tonight, you still care that much that you want to be with me?"

Tommy gestured for her to walk over and when she got closer he patted his leg, silently asking her to take a seat there. She nodded quietly and sat down on his knee as Tommy slowly put his arm around her waist.

"I thought Kat could replace you. She took your spot on the team and I wanted her to take your place in other ways too," he said honestly as Kim winced slightly "I wanted nothing more than to be able to wake up one morning, forget about you and be head over heels in love with Kat but as hard as I tried to make that happen, I couldn't. You've held a special place in my heart since the first time we talked at school that day and it's a place no other person could ever occupy. I'm not complete without you Kim. I not only want you, I need you."

For the first time that night, tears of joy fell down her face as she threw her arms around Tommy and held on tightly. They stayed like that for a few minutes and when he let go, Tommy saw that Kim had fallen asleep in his arms. With one quick motion he stood up and lifted Kim into the air gently before carrying her into the bedroom. He laid her down on the bed and pulled the covers up over her as he bent down and kissed her on the forehead.

"Goodnight, Beautiful," Tommy muttered as he flicked the light off "Sleep tight."

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_October 5, 2000_

_NASADA Space Port_

_Unknown Location_

"Wait!" Andros, the Red Space Ranger, called out as the group of Red Rangers made their way to the Megaship _Mark II_ "Wasn't there another Red Ranger here on Earth?"

Tommy Oliver, the Red Zeo Ranger, stopped mid-step and froze at Andros' words. There was one person he had been looking forward to seeing the most and he wasn't there.

"I was hoping he'd show up," Tommy said disappointedly as he turned to face the others "But I guess he couldn't make it. We'll have to go on without him."

Suddenly Cole, the Red Wild Force Ranger, heard a rumbling sound approaching the hangar they were in. To him it sounded like a motorcycle but he wasn't entirely sure.

"Guys," he exclaimed as they all heard it and took off running outside.

The seven Red Rangers all watched intently as a man in a black tinted helmet came riding up on a motorcycle. The man came to a stop and then hopped off his bike, turning his back to the group before removing his helmet and facing them.

"Jason," Tommy said happily as he nodded his head.

"You guys weren't gonna do this without me, were you?" Jason asked with a smile as he approached Cole "So you must be the new guy?"

Cole got a huge smile on his face at the mere sight of Jason. He wiped the sweat off his hand on his jeans and then extended his hand towards Jason.

"Hi," he said nervously "I'm Cole."

"That's good," Jason answered with a smile, patting him on the shoulder before moving down the line "I recognize some of you guys. Some of you, uh, more than others."

He stopped in front of Tommy who was wearing a bright smile and the two exchanged knowing looks.

"I was starting to wonder whether you'd show up at all," Tommy said with mock concern and a half-smile.

"You didn't think I was going to let you do this without the original Red Ranger, did ya?" Jason asked with a huge smile on his face.

The pair exchanged a brotherly handshake as they joined the rest of the Red Rangers. Together, the eight of them made their way onto the ship to make the journey to the moon where they would meet up with Leo, the Red Galaxy Ranger, and Aurico, the Red Space Ranger.

Tommy and Jason hadn't seen each other in a while and the first thing on their agenda after their briefing with the other Rangers was to play catch-up. When the others had all left the conference room, Jason and Tommy closed and locked the doors so they could talk in private without any interruptions.

"So how's Kim?" Jason asked as Tommy smiled happily.

"She's doing better, man. We're still going strong and I love her more each day," Tommy answered "I'm even going to ask her to marry me when we get back."

"Really, bro?" Jason asked in reply as Tommy nodded "Oh, man that's awesome news. Congratulations, bro."

"Thanks, man," Tommy muttered "How's Trini doing?"

"She's doing good, too," Jason replied "Michael's been asking when he's going to see Uncle Tommy again since you came for Christmas last year. Which reminds me, are you and Kim still planning on coming this year?"

"Yeah, I think so. She mentioned it a couple weeks ago and we agreed that we'd call you guys when it got closer to Christmas," Tommy answered "But I'll talk to her about it again when we get back. Are you liking the new job?"

"You know, it's got its upsides and downsides," Jason said with a shrug "It beats the hell out of driving around a patrol car all day but the hours suck. I get called in at three a.m. all the time to investigate crime scenes. Trini hates that I'm gone so much but, after being a Ranger, she understands the concept of public service a little bit better than most. How about you? You still digging up dinosaur bones?"

"Yup," Tommy replied "I'm going on a dig in a couple months with a guy named Anton Mercer. If all goes well I'll have my doctorate and a great job within the next six or seven months."

Jason had just opened his mouth to reply when Andros' voice came over the loudspeaker, cutting him off. They didn't even have to listen to what he was saying to know at they had arrived on the moon. With knowing looks and the promise to continue the conversation later, the two best friends exited the briefing room and made their way through the ship to meet the other Rangers.

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_February 14, 2004_

_Reefside, CA_

Tommy Oliver had just had the day from hell. Not only had he been forced to supervise detention on his first day of school but the three kids he was supposed to be watching had stumbled into his underground lair and bonded with the hidden Dino Gems.

And on top of everything else, it was Kim's birthday and she had spent the whole day alone. Tommy stopped off at the florist to pick up a bouquet for her and then made the fifteen minute drive to where he was meeting her.

As he climbed out of his black Jeep, he spotted her and walked over slowly to where she was waiting for him. When he finally reached her he got down on one knee, ignoring the wet grass staining his pants and looked down up at her.

"I miss you so much, Kim," he muttered, fighting back tears as he stared at her headstone and laid the flowers next to it "I can't believe you're gone. It seems like it was just yesterday when you showed up at my apartment soaked to the bone. Can you believe it'll be six years in November?"

Tommy struggled for breath as the memories of Kim's death crisscrossed with the one's from today. On the night Kim came back to Tommy, she hadn't just come back to profess her love. She came back because she had breast cancer and wanted to spend the last few years of her life with the man she loved more than anything in the world.

He cried for three days straight when Kim told him the truth. Going to work with Anton Mercer had been the hardest thing he ever did but Kim had insisted that he not put his life on hold over her. The thought of a dying Kim had forced him to become careless on the island and he had been lucky to escape with his life.

Then there was that awful excuse for an administrator, Principal Randall. He had told her months before he took the job for the spring semester that there were three days he couldn't do anything extra-curricular; January 12th, the day Kim passed away was unimportant to his job because school wasn't in session but November 18th was his wedding anniversary and February 14th was Kim's birthday and he wanted to spend those spare moments with her.

By the time he made it to the cemetery it was dark outside and he was pissed. Because Randall had given him detention duty he had already had to fight Zeltrax, explain to three random teenagers who got detention that they were Power Rangers and then find a way to rescue the new Yellow Ranger from Mesogog's lair. He was supposed to leave school immediately after it got out, not have to be away from Kim until close to eight at night. But he was here with her now and he needed to focus on that for the time being and his personal beef with Randle needed to go on the back burner.

"There will never be anyone who can take your place, Kim," Tommy sobbed as he wiped tears from his eyes "Some mornings I wake up and just want to end it because the pain of not having you in my life is that strong. But I know you'd never forgive me if I took the easy way out, I just want to be with you so much. I know you're watching over me and keeping me safe until we see each other again and I want you to know that I will love you forever. Just send me some kind of sign, Kim. Something that lets me know you can hear me and that you're still there."

Tommy heard the high-pitched call of a falcon as it flew across the sky and then stopped, hovering in front of another bird. It was a crane and the two birds were looking at each other curiously. They danced around the sky in circles for a few minutes, still staring at each other until the crane made its' move. The bird extended its' long neck and nuzzled its' head against the falcon's neck and then they took off flying in together.

"Thank you," Tommy muttered as he turned my attention back towards the tombstone "One day, my love. One day. I promise."

He read the tombstone silently as he felt a firm hand on his shoulder. Slowly, he turned around to find Jason and Trini standing behind him.

"Haley told us we'd find you here," Trini said to him as tears filled her eyes and she pulled Tommy into a tight hug "God, Tommy I'm so sorry."

"Don't be, Trini. You didn't do anything wrong," Tommy muttered reassuringly "It was Kim's time to go. I can take comfort in the fact that there's no more pain and that she's in a better place."

"That doesn't change the fact that we're sorry and that we care about you, bro," Jason said as he put his arms around Trini and Tommy and they lowered their heads in silent prayer together.

"Thanks for coming guys," Tommy said a few minutes later, breaking the silence "It means a lot to me and I know it means a lot to Kim, too."

"We'll always be here for you, Tommy," Trini replied with a tight smile "Jason and I were going to go to Haley's for a cup of coffee. Would you like to join us?"

A hot cup of coffee sounded nice, especially with two of his closest friends, but part of him felt he would be betraying Kim by leaving her on her birthday. He looked up at the sky one more time as the two birds came back and let out their calls in unison. Tommy smiled at them knowingly before turning his attention back to Jason and Trini.

"Yeah, I'd like that," Tommy said finally "Just give me a minute to say goodbye and then I'll follow you guys there, okay?"

"Sure thing, man," Jason answered, clasping his friend tightly on the shoulder "We'll be waiting for you. Take your time, bro."

Tommy nodded his head as the married couple turned around and walked back towards their SUV hand-in-hand. Silently, he looked at her tombstone one last time and read it again.

_Kimberly Ann Oliver_

_February 14, 1977 - January 12, 2003_

_Taken too soon. In our hearts you'll always live and never say goodbye._

The small message had been a personal touch from Tommy and he was proud of what it said, even if there were only six people in the world who understood it. It made sense to the people that mattered the most and that was all he cared about.

"Goodbye, Kim. I'll see you soon. I love you," he whispered one last time before turning on his heels and walking towards his Jeep.

He gave Jason and Trini a thumbs up as he hopped in his Jeep, wiped his eyes dry and put on a pair of dark sunglasses even though the sun hadn't been out for a few hours. The engine turned over as Tommy slowly put his foot down and accelerated in the direction his friends were heading.

Tommy took silent comfort in knowing that Kim was looking down at him and smiling proudly as he worked hard to rebuild his life. He had a full plate now with school and a team of Rangers to train but she knew he wouldn't forget her. They were destined to be together and they both knew it. Even if they couldn't do it on Earth, they would be together again one day and nothing would ever tear them apart again.

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_So what did you guys think? This was a tough one for me to write and I didn't make it through some of the sad parts without getting teary eyes. Please, let me know what you thought about it since it's something different that I haven't done before._

_Cheers,_

_WK_


End file.
